Forget This Ever Happened
by Pinkie Spy
Summary: Damon uses the sire bond to make Elena forget all about their time together before he leaves town for good. Now Elena's memory is full of holes, and she can't escape the feeling there's someone she should remember. Will Damon's surprise return to Mystic Falls jog her memory? **Enjoy your holidays everyone :) New chapters will be up around New Years!**
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: I Wish You Didn't Have To Forget This**

"You know you have to set her free," Stefan said. "She can't live like this."

"What if I don't?" Damon asked.

"She deserves to live a life without you controlling all her decisions. Undermining her free will."

"Is that what you think I'm doing?"

"Okay, how about this: we let Elena decide."

Damon frowned at his brother in the seat next to him as the car bounced over the pot-holed road into Mystic Falls.

"She already did decide, Stefan. That's your problem."

"The only way she can really decide is if you leave," Stefan went on, ignoring this. "Use your sire bond. Tell her not to think about you. Tell her... tell her to forget about you and move on. Then leave Mystic Falls."

"And how exactly is that leaving it up to Elena?"

Stefan shrugged. "If she decides to go after you, then that's her choice. I won't stop her."

Damon stared out of the car's windshield, his brow furrowed in thought.

"Let her go," Stefan went on. "Use the sire bond to free her. If she still remembers and she still follows you... Then we'll both know that's what she really wants. No sire bond involved."

"And you would respect that," Damon asked. He shot his brother a speculative glance.

"Absolutely." Stefan held up his hands. "I want Elena to be happy. Tyler managed to break his sire bond to get the thing he really wanted. Elena can do the same. But you have to give her that chance."

"Alright, I'll do it," Damon agreed. "But you have to give me your word that you won't get Jeremy involved in any hunter business either. Let Elena decide if she wants the cure or not. Let Jeremy decide if he wants to be a hunter. Don't meddle."

"It's a deal," Stefan said.

"Alright." Damon sighed. "Let's do this."

* * *

"Listen to me, Elena. I'm bad for you. We shouldn't be together. Not like this. So I'm going to go out of town for a while, and once I'm gone... You shouldn't ever think of me. The right thing to do is forget about me and forget about us being together. Forget about any feelings you might have for me. I want you to live your life without me. I want you to forget all about me and move on. That's what's going to make me happy. Live without me, Elena. Be happy. Have fun. Don't think about me anymore."

* * *

Elena awoke in the Salvatore Boarding House, stirred from sleep by a painful headache. She rubbed her temples, trying to ease the ache and clear the fog in her head.

She glanced around at the unfamiliar furniture. This must be one of the guest rooms; she'd never been in here before.

For some reason it felt strange to sleep here. A part of her mind kept insisting that this was the not the bed she should have fallen asleep in.

Downstairs, she found Stefan in the living room - with Bonnie, of all people. And... Caroline? Why were they here?

"What time is it?" she asked.

Stefan leapt up. He rubbed her shoulders, scrutinising her face.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "We were worried about you!"

"My head feels like cotton candy," Elena said. She pulled away from Stefan's hands and sat down on the sofa beside Bonnie. "What happened?"

For a moment the three of them said nothing.

"Klaus tried to use his compulsion on you," Stefan said eventually. "He wanted to compel you to do a bunch of things for him. We saved you before he could make you do anything but... He got pretty deep into your mind."

"I don't remember any of this," Elena said.

"Your memory might be a bit hazy because of it. Don't worry - it'll all come back to you eventually. You just might be a bit confused for a while. Just until it passes."

Elena stared into Stefan's earnest face, and then glanced at Bonnie and Caroline. They both shifted in their seats, and Bonnie wouldn't meet her gaze.

None of this made any sense, and if only this headache would go away, Elena would figure it all out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: What Are Friends For**

Bonnie found Stefan in the cellar fetching a blood bag from the chest fridge. She folded her arms and stood in the doorway, her expression frosty.

"Klaus compelled her?" she said. "That's the best story you could come up with?"

"What do you want me tell her?" Stefan demanded.

"I'm not happy with any of this, just for the record," Bonnie said. "You're messing with Elena's head. It's her life and she has a right to remember Damon was in it."

"And she will. We've all seen how strong feelings can overcome sire bonds and compulsion. So if Damon is really important to Elena, she'll remember him anyway. It will all come back to her."

"The minute it does, I will tell her about him," Bonnie said.

"Are you going to tell her she's in love with him?" Stefan demanded. He glared at her, the blood bag clutched tight in his fist.

Bonnie shrugged. "I don't know if she is in love with him. That's her business. But he was an important part of her life, especially when you weren't here. I'm going to tell her that."

"For this plan to work we all need to be on board with it," Stefan said.

"Oh don't worry. I'll keep your little secret. But I'm only in this until I'm sure Elena's sire bond has been broken. I'm doing this for her, not for you."

"I'm doing this for Elena too."

Bonnie arched an eyebrow at him.

"Are you really? Because it seems like getting Damon out of the picture is the perfect scenario for you. You know - take another pass at the girl that got away."

Stefan scowled at her, and the dim light of the cellar gave his face an ugly look.

"Do you have a problem with me, Bonnie?"

"Yes. I do. I'm a witch, and you're a vampire. And you're the worst kind of vampire. One who has no control over their bloodlust. I know what you're capable of. You're dangerous, and if you really cared about Elena, you would've left town when Damon did."

* * *

Elena sat on the sofa staring into the fire, her knees hugged to her chest. She didn't stir when Stefan came into the room. She didn't even look at him until he held out the blood bag.

"Thought you might be hungry," he said.

Elena stared at him, trying to bring him into focus. She could see him clearly enough, but every memory of him seemed jumbled somehow. Something was missing.

She reached out wordlessly and took the blood bag from his fingers. He didn't say anything as she sucked at it, but she felt the weight of his eyes boring into her.

"How's your headache?" he asked.

"It's a lot better," she said. She stared into the fire, the blood bag hanging from her limp fingers. "I just can't remember anything clearly. There are so many empty patches."

"It'll come back to you in time," Stefan said.

Elena sipped absently at the blood bag. It seemed somehow significant that she could drink from it, but for the life of her she couldn't remember why.

"I broke up with you," she said. She looked at Stefan, his face softly illuminated by the firelight.

He nodded gently.

"I don't remember why," Elena said. "We talked about the cure. I sat next to you on the porch in the sunshine, and we broke up and I don't remember why."

"We disagreed about curing your vampirism. I thought it was best for you, but you didn't want to take it. You being a vampire put a lot of strain on our relationship."

"Why didn't I want the cure?" Elena asked. She stared into the fire again, because those dancing flames reminded her of something she couldn't take hold of.

"I think you just didn't want to wait around hoping for something that might not exist," Stefan said.

"I gave up hope."

But that didn't seem right at all.

Stefan laid a hand on her shoulder. "We can find this cure, if that's what you want," he said. "It might be dangerous, and Jeremy might have to become a hunter, but if that's what you want we'll keep looking. I swear."

Elena nodded. "I think I want to be human again. I don't think I'm cut out to be a vampire."

"It's been really hard for you," Stefan said. "It's okay to admit that this isn't working out."

He stood up. "You get some rest," he went on. "I'll see what I can dig up about the cure. We're going to get through this, okay?"

"Stefan," Elena called as he walked away. He turned back to face her.

"Do you think that we could work things out between us?" she asked.

"I don't know," Stefan said. "Do you want to try?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe."

She couldn't see any reason why not, except the nagging feeling that it was completely wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: It Reminded Me Of When We Danced Together**

The first week at the Boarding House Elena barely slept. The gaps in her memory haunted her, and everything felt off-kilter. Her memories were supposed to be complete, but she couldn't shake the feeling that huge chunks of them were still missing.

At night she lay awake, unable to shut down her mind for even a second. The constant feeling of a word on the tip of her tongue or a face she couldn't call to mind drove her crazy. She stared at seemingly insignificant objects, willing the associated memory to come back to life.

She tried to distract herself by keeping busy. She threw herself into school work and went on long walks. She cleaned the Boarding House compulsively, moved to pick up every dirty mug or out-of-place cushion.

But at every turn she was hijacked by the most random of objects. Seemingly insignificant items triggered powerful waves of recognition, but whatever memory they were attached to eluded her. The Bourbon decanter filled her with nervous anticipation. The sight of a scarf lying beside her school bag overwhelmed her with the grief of a freshly broken heart.

Her old teddy bear was the worst. Every time she saw it she burst into tears, and eventually she had to shove it away in the back of a drawer.

None of it made sense. The logical connections between these objects and how she felt about them were all severed - snapped in two by the missing memories.

By the end of the first week, Elena had reached the end of her patience. She lay in the bed in the guest room and stared at the ceiling, too furious and frustrated to do anything but cry.

There was no hope of getting any sleep tonight.

She got up and went down to the kitchen, where she made herself a cup of hot chocolate. The fire in the living room had died down to embers, and Stefan had gone to bed hours ago, so Elena built up the fire and sat on the floor in front of the fireplace.

Without Stefan's constant concerned presence and his persistent questioning, the living room was calm and peaceful for once. Elena felt drawn to the fireplace, and without Stefan hanging over her shoulder she could finally enjoy a moment of peace in front of it.

She sipped her hot chocolate and stared into the fire. The gentle dance of the flames mesmerised her. Her mind finally went still, hypnotised by the fire and the drifting smoke.

In her trance-like state she saw a man. Her hands cupped his face, trying to soothe his angry scowl. She blinked and stirred, but when she looked back into the fire she saw him again. They danced together in front of this fireplace, and she remembered the feel of his hand on her waist; his soft smile as he twirled her. His face was murky, blurred by memory and the flickering of the fire.

She remembered nothing about him - she couldn't recall his name or the sound of his voice or what he looked like. But she had danced with him once in front of this fire and for some reason that seemed like the most important thing in the world.

"Are you okay, Elena?"

Stefan's voice snapped her out of her reverie, and the fleeting memories disappeared. She turned to look at him.

"I couldn't sleep," she said. Stefan stood behind her in his pyjamas, looking dorky and dishevelled.

"It will get easier," he said. He sat down on the sofa behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "What were you doing down here?"

"I like staring at the fire."

Elena turned to look at Stefan, his face illuminated by the fire's glow. She tried to make his features fit the face of the man she'd seen.

"Did we ever dance in front of this fire?" she asked.

Stefan shook his head. "No. Why?"

"I remember dancing by the fire," Elena said. She turned her face back to the flames, trying to recapture the memory.

"You were half asleep," Stefan said. "It was probably just a dream. Why don't you go back to bed?"

"Right."

Elena went back upstairs, aware of Stefan's concerned gaze on her back at every step until the turn in the stairway took her out of his sight. She paused on the landing. The door of her guest room stood ajar, but it felt so uncomfortable that she balked at going back in there. She'd spent too many sleepless nights there, staring at the unfamiliar furniture.

Surely the house had other rooms she could sleep in.

She made her way down the corridor, peeking into the rooms as she passed. Most seemed empty and unused. At the end of the corridor she pushed open a solid wooden door into a room that seemed instantly right.

It had a dark wood floor and antique furniture, and a huge bed stood at an angle in front of the windows, dominating the entire room. Heavy drapes covered the wide windows, and an ornate rug lay on the floor. A bathroom alcove housed a tasteful en suite. Everything was simple and elegant.

A wave of haunting familiarity took Elena's breath away. She had seen this room before, even if she didn't remember when or why. Someone important slept here.

She crossed the wooden floor and sat on the bed, her hands stroking the white cotton sheets. This bed looked comfortable enough to jump on. She lay down and gazed at the ceiling.

Whoever's bed this was, it felt just right. Within moments she was sound asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Just Like The Bachelorette**

Over the next month, Elena settled into a comfortable routine at the Boarding House. It was awkward at first; with Bonnie out at the lake house helping Jeremy overcome his hunter instincts, it was mostly Elena and Stefan in the house together, with the occasional visit from Caroline.

Stefan hovered around Elena, constantly asking if she was feeling okay and carefully monitoring her blood intake as if worried she might turn ripper at any moment. It became so overbearing that Elena took to squirreling away in her room rather than sitting downstairs.

When Stefan found out she wasn't sleeping in the guest room anymore, he asked her where she was sleeping instead.

"That room at the end of the hall," Elena said. "I think a man used to sleep in it. It's got men's clothes in all the dressers."

"Oh. And... uh... why did you pick that room?"

"It just felt right." Elena paused and took in the frown on Stefan's face. "Whose room was it? Did someone else live here?"

"That was my uncle Zack's room," Stefan said, his face carefully neutral.

"Is it okay if I sleep there? It's not weird that I'm sleeping in a dead guy's room? It's just that I can't sleep anywhere else for some reason. That room has a really good vibe."

Stefan kissed her on the forehead. "Sleep wherever you want. As long as you're happy."

Towards the end of the first month it rained heavily. Elena stood outside every morning, waiting for Caroline to pick her up for school.

The rain reminded her of strong, tender hands cupping her face. Yet another feeling without a memory.

"How are things between you and Stefan?" Caroline asked, as she drove Elena to school through the driving rain.

"Oh, they're... okay," Elena said. "He's been really helpful and we've talked about a few things. Nothing serious, though."

"I'm sure you two can work it out," Caroline said. She gave Elena her best preppy smile. "There's the decade dance at school next week. You should bring him along. It's a 70s theme."

Elena shook her head. "I'm not ready for a date, Caroline. Seriously. It needs more time."

"Oh come on. It's been over a month of this tiptoeing around. You and Stefan have dated before. You don't need to take it so slow. Give him a chance."

"Like 'The Bachelorette', right?" Elena said. "That's what you told me last time you said I should invite Stefan to a school dance. I remember."

"Oh. Did I say that?" Caroline said, her voice suddenly nonchalant.

"Why did you tell me to invite him that time? I know there was a reason but I can't remember it. Something happened, and when I told you about it you said to take Stefan to the dance."

"It's probably nothing important. And if it is important, you'll remember it eventually. Now are you going to ask Stefan out or not?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: I Wanted To Dance With You**

That evening, Elena took a deep breath and cornered Stefan in the living room.

"So there's a dance at the school next week," she said, before her courage gave out. "Do you want to go with me? I know we haven't really done much of this... relationship stuff but it would be nice to do something together. Just to see how it goes."

Stefan smiled. "Sure. I'd like that."

"It's a decade dance, so you'll have to dress up," Elena said. "And there'll be... dancing..."

A memory hit her like a crashing wave. Another dance, in the school hall, and a man with dark hair who made her laugh as he twirled her into his arms. It left her reeling. When she closed her eyes his face stared into hers: dark hair, bright blue eyes locked to hers. Another dance. Sunlight on white stone. She wore blue. They danced without touching and his piercing blue eyes never left hers.

Stefan's hand closed around her arm, and she stared at him with wild eyes. She was on her knees on the hard wood floor, gasping for air, reeling from the shock of remembering.

"Elena? Are you alright?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out Stefan's voice and his overly-helpful face, trying to hold onto the memory. But the moment had passed. The images faded, leaving nothing but the shape of a memory.

She took a deep breath.

"I'm fine. I just... Help me up, please."

With Stefan's support, she stood up on shaky legs and pulled herself onto the sofa. She closed her eyes and tried to recapture the vivid clarity of that sunlit dance.

"Miss Mystic Falls," she said aloud. That dress. That day. Yes. She had gone there with Stefan.

She opened her eyes and looked up to find Stefan frowning at her.

"What about Miss Mystic Falls?" he asked.

"Did we dance together that day?" she said. "I remember dancing with someone."

"No, we never danced together at the pageant," he said. "I wasn't there."

"But I remember dancing," Elena said. "Who did I dance with?"

Stefan hesitated, and at that moment the front door slammed open. Elena jerked her head up. Klaus lounged in hallway, an insufferable smirk on his face.

"Well, isn't this a picture of domesticity," he said. He strolled into the room without waiting to be invited.

"What do you want?" Stefan asked.

"Oh, I've just come to check up on our little project," Klaus said. "Elena, love, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Elena said. "Stefan told me what you did to me."

Klaus chuckled. He seated himself on the opposite sofa with deliberate care and sat back, his eyes never leaving Elena's face.

"Contrary to what you might be thinking, I'm not here to make trouble," he said. "Stefan told me you might be interested in a vampire cure, but you don't seem to making a lot of progress in that department."

"What do you know about the cure?"

"Well for one thing I know that if you really want to be human again, you're going to have to let that little brother of yours kill a few more vampires."

Elena shook her head. "Absolutely not. Leave Jeremy out of this."

"He's the key to the cure, love. He's already in this up to his neck."

"I don't care. Find another hunter. Bonnie's finally got him to ease up on this vampire-murder stuff, I don't want him dragged back into this."

She half-expected Klaus to yell at her, but instead he gave her a long, calculating look before turning his gaze to Stefan.

"You heard her," Stefan said, and Klaus's eyes narrowed. He stood up from the sofa and marched toward the door, but before he got there he stopped beside Stefan.

"Get your girlfriend in line, Stefan," he hissed. "You owe me a hunter."

"What was all that about?" Elena asked once Klaus had stormed off.

"He's just being pushy because he told me about the cure and now he thinks I owe him," Stefan said. He sat on the sofa and reached for Elena's hand. "Don't worry. We'll keep Jeremy out of this."


	6. Chapter 6

_**AN: Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed so far! I hope you guys like where the story is going :) I have two new chapters ready today and two more ready to go up tomorrow, so make sure you check back for updates or follow the story if you don't want to miss the new chapters :)**_

**Chapter 6: The Hunter's Mark**

The morning of the dance Elena woke to find the house deserted, and her calls to Stefan's phone went unanswered. She mooched around the house until Caroline arrived to help her get ready.

"Where is Stefan?" Elena wondered, as Caroline curled her hair.

"He'll be here, don't worry," Caroline said. "Just worry about having fun, okay?"

Whatever mysterious errand had taken Stefan away all day, he didn't return to the Boarding House until the evening, when he turned up just in time to drive them all to the dance. Caroline purposefully sat in the back seat, but despite her meaningful glances between Stefan and Elena the journey passed mostly in silence.

When they arrived, the school hall was already crowded with people. The sight of the dance gave Elena an infuriating sense of déjà vu. It felt like someone else was supposed to be here.

"There's Bonnie," Caroline said, interrupting Elena's contemplations. Elena looked where Caroline was pointing, and caught sight of Bonnie waving as she made her way through the crowd. Jeremy followed close behind.

"Why's Jeremy here?" Elena asked. "He's supposed to be out of town."

"I thought it would be nice for you two to spend some time together," Stefan said. "His hunter instinct is under control now. He should be able to see you without hurting you."

Jeremy emerged from the crowd in front of them, and for a moment Elena thought he would lunge at the three of them. Then he enveloped her in a brotherly hug, and she relaxed.

At first, the evening passed without incident. Elena danced a little with Stefan, and chatted to Jeremy, and Caroline watched it all as if monitoring Elena for signs of _having fun_.

When Stefan and Caroline took a turn on the dance floor and Jeremy went to fetch some drinks, Elena took the opportunity to catch up with Bonnie.

"How is his hunter stuff going?" she asked. "He seems okay now."

"I managed to get it mostly under control," Bonnie said. "Professor Shane helped a lot. We had to completely subdue his urge to kill, but it seems to have worked for now. I'm not sure what would happen if he somehow killed another vampire, though."

"Do you think that would trigger it again?"

Bonnie shrugged. "I just don't know. We wanted to get him to a place where he could choose which vampires to kill and not just blindly stake any he saw, but we couldn't make the breakthrough."

"I'm sure it'll be okay," Elena said. "We just won't send him on any vampire hunts."

She caught sight of Jeremy weaving his way back through the crowd with their drinks. He was too young to be caught up in all of this. But hadn't she tried to do something about that once? Some conversation about sending him away to Denver?

"How are you feeling, Elena?" Bonnie asked. "How's your memory?"

"It's still patchy," Elena sighed. "I feel like there are all sorts of important things I just can't remember."

"You'll remember them. If they're important, they'll come back to you."

"Everyone keeps telling me that! I just wish I knew what it was I'm supposed to remember."

Bonnie laid a sympathetic hand on her arm. "It will come back to you," she said. "But it's better if those memories come back on their own."

"But they're not coming back, Bonnie. Every time I try and reach them, they slip away. I know there are important things that I've completely forgotten, but I can't get them back and it's driving me mad."

"Then I'll help you," Bonnie said. "We'll get them back together."

Elena reached out to hug Bonnie, but before she could thank her a faint sound right on the edge of hearing brought her up short.

"Do you hear that?" she said.

Bonnie shook her head. "I don't hear anything."

Elena scanned the crowd frantically. A sudden dip in the music brought the sound to her more clearly: a snarl of rage and the clink of chains.

"Someone's fighting," she said. She caught Caroline's eye in the crowd, and she could tell by her friend's expression that she had heard the noise too.

Caroline elbowed her way through the crowd and Elena grabbed her by the arm.

"Where's Stefan?" Elena asked.

"He went to get a drink," Caroline said.

"Where's Jeremy?" Bonnie added. "He was right there..."

Elena scanned the crowd. Jeremy and Stefan were nowhere to be seen.

"Someone's fighting," Caroline said. "I heard it. It's coming from down the hall. Come on."

They left the oblivious revellers and headed down the empty corridors of the school. Away from the loud music, the sound of fighting came over even more clearly, and they followed the noise to an empty classroom at the far end of the corridor.

Elena stopped in the doorway. Jeremy stood tense and ready to pounce behind the teacher's desk. Two vampires faced him across the room, their fangs out and their eyes blood red. They looked wild - newly turned and crazed on blood. Broken chains dragged from their ankles.

Elena felt her own fangs descend as the smell of blood overwhelmed her control. She glanced back at Jeremy. A gaping wound on his arm dripped blood onto the classroom floor.

"Stay back Jeremy!" she yelled. "Don't kill them! Leave them to us."

Jeremy ignored her.

"His hunter instinct..." Bonnie said. Her voice trailed off. She didn't need to elaborate. Even after all her hard work, Jeremy was about to fall over the edge again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Blood and Blue Eyes**

Elena had no time to think. She threw herself forward towards the newborn vampires, just a fraction of a second after Caroline did the same.

She slammed bodily into the first vampire - a tall, heavy-set man who barely moved when she crashed into him. He staggered sideways, and Elena rebounded and tried again.

Her scant experience with vampire fighting hadn't prepared her for this. The man had the strength of a blood-crazed newborn, and no control. She aimed a wild punch at his face, but his arm swung around and swatted her aside like a fly. She crashed painfully into the desks, momentarily dazed.

"Elena! Look out!" Caroline cried. The vampire took hold of Elena's hair, but before he could drag her to her feet Caroline struck from behind with all her strength. She clubbed him with a chair, and he fell to his knees.

Elena grabbed one of his arms as Caroline clung to the other. Together they held him back.

"Bonnie, get a stake!" Caroline yelled.

Bonnie cast around for a sliver of broken wood from the wrecked classroom, but before she could move Jeremy picked up a long, thin piece of a broken desk.

"Jeremy, no!" Elena cried. Too late.

Jeremy plunged the makeshift stake into the vampire's heart, his hunter strength helping him push it all the way home. The vampire went rigid as the life drained out of him.

"Jeremy," Bonnie said. "Focus, Jeremy. Look at me."

Jeremy ignored her. His eyes fixed onto Elena's face, and his expression carried no trace of recognition.

"Jer, it's me," Elena said. She held her hands up and backed away from him. But Jeremy kept coming with cold-eyed intent.

There was a blur from the doorway, and Stefan careened into Jeremy, throwing him off balance. Before Elena even had time to react, Stefan punched Jeremy hard in the face, and he went limp.

"Did you kill him?" Elena asked wildly. She ran to Jeremy's side and stroked his hair.

"He's just out cold," Stefan said. "But we need to get him out of here."

* * *

They drove Jeremy home, still dazed and out of it, and Stefan carried him inside and put him on the sofa. They left him with Matt, who didn't look surprised when Stefan told him what happened. Nothing seemed to faze Matt anymore, and Elena felt moved to give him a hug on her way out the door.

When they got back to the Boarding House, Caroline offered to stay the night with Elena, but she wasn't in the mood for a sleepover and told Caroline as kindly as possible that she'd rather be on her own.

Bonnie stuck around, however.

"You don't need to stay," Elena said as she got ready for bed.

"I just need to talk to Stefan about something," Bonnie said. She looked around the bedroom. "You sleep here?"

"I like it. Stefan said it belonged to his Uncle Zack."

"Well it didn't," Bonnie said shortly. "It belonged to someone else."

Elena sat down on the bed, her heart suddenly racing. Once again a wave of familiarity engulfed her.

"Whose room was this?" she asked.

"Someone else used to live in this house," Bonnie said. "They slept in this room. You knew them pretty well, but now you don't remember them. I'm going to help you, though."

Elena stared at her, drowning in the sea of lost memories.

"Do they have blue eyes?" she asked.

Bonnie took her hand. "Yes! Yes. You remember him? A man with blue eyes?"

Elena nodded. "I thought I just imagined him."

"You didn't. He's real. And you're going to remember him."

* * *

_**Bonnie to the rescue! Check back tomorrow for more updates - and the return of Damon ;)**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I will get round to replying individually today :) In the meantime, enjoy the next two chapters. I know some people have been saying the chapters are a bit short but I'll always try and upload two at a time for you guys so you'll get plenty of story to read! :)**_

* * *

**Chapter 8: Don't Mess With a Bennett Witch**

Bonnie left Elena upstairs in bed, and made her way down to the lounge where Stefan sat in front of the fire. His stoic expression was unreadable in the dim light of the fire.

"What happened tonight?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't know," Stefan said.

"Really? You have no idea how two newly-turned vampires ended up roaming the school halls on the night of the dance? I saw the chains on their legs. Someone restrained them and then let them free."

"What are you saying, Bonnie?"

Bonnie folded her arms and looked Stefan right in the eye.

"You were the one that insisted I should bring Jeremy to the dance today," she said. "You've been pestering me about bringing him all week. So he comes back to Mystic Falls and the first thing that happens is two blood-crazed vampires manage to get free right when there's a hunter in town again."

Stefan broke her gaze and looked back into the fire.

"Klaus needs a hunter. I couldn't find another one."

"I spent weeks trying to cure him of his hunter instinct," Bonnie said. She marched across the room and stood in front of Stefan, forcing him to look at her.

"I know about your deal with Damon, remember?" she went on. "You promised to keep Jeremy out of this. Elena wants Jeremy out of this, that's why I worked so hard to help him. And you undid all of that in one selfish moment."

Stefan leapt to his feet and towered over Bonnie, his face suddenly furious. "What was I supposed to do? Elena wants to be cured. She needs the cure. Klaus doesn't care who gets hurt as long as Elena becomes human again. Jeremy is the only hunter we have!"

"So you screwed him over for the greater good? Is that what you tell yourself?"

"I'm doing this for Elena. To give her another chance. She shouldn't have to be sired, it's not fair on her!"

"Are you really doing this for Elena?" Bonnie asked. "Are you sure it's not really for you?"

"Don't lecture me Bonnie, you have no idea how-"

He stopped suddenly, grimacing in pain as Bonnie's magic reached into his head. He sank to his knees and clutched at his forehead.

"No, you're going to listen to me, Stefan Salvatore," Bonnie said. She let the pain stop, and Stefan gasped in relief.

"This nonsense ends now. You had no right to drag Jeremy back into this. And I know you've been lying to Elena. Uncle Zack's room? Really?"

Stefan grimaced. "I had to tell her something."

"You should've told her the truth. Now I'm going to put a stop to this whole sick experiment. I'm calling Damon and telling him to come home."

"He has to stay away from her!" Stefan protested. "It's for her own good. Please, give her a chance to remember him on her own."

"She already remembers him. You just don't want to see it. And you want to know something else? Damon would've kept Jeremy out of this. And Damon made Elena happy. She didn't hate herself this much when he was around. Ever since he left she's been miserable."

Stefan's face fell, and he flopped down on the sofa. Bonnie's rage waned a little.

"I know you're trying to do what's best," she said. "But if Elena wants Damon in her life, that's up to her. You can't make that decision for her."

Bonnie left Stefan staring mournfully into the fire. She picked up her bag and walked to the door.

"I'm calling Damon tonight," she said. "If you really care about Elena then stop lying to her about him. Let her choose what she wants to do."

* * *

"Hello?"

"Hey Damon. It's Bonnie."

"And what can I do for my favourite witch?"

"You need to come back to Mystic Falls."

"Sorry Bonnie, I know I'm renowned for my masochism but even I have to draw a line somewhere."

"Stefan has Jeremy hunting again. He went off the rails and tried to kill Elena."

"Is she alright?"

"What do you think? She's pretty shaken up about it. But no, he didn't hurt her."

"What do you want me to do, Bonnie? I'm supposed to be staying away. Letting Elena go. Setting her free of my corruptive influence. Apparently it worked."

"It didn't. She's starting to remember you. And she's miserable all the time. You need to come back, Damon. I never thought I'd say this but... we kind of miss you."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: You And I Met First**

The next afternoon, Stefan called an emergency meeting to discuss the situation with Jeremy. Caroline was ambivalent about him being a hunter again, but she was at least sympathetic to Elena's misery. Bonnie kept giving Stefan the stink eye, and Elena wondered about the content of their mysterious conversation the night before.

"Matt called me this morning," Bonnie began. "Jeremy is still in the house and he's locked all the doors, but he can't stop Jer from making stakes and trying to get out. It's going to be hard to contain him."

"You should go back there," Caroline said. "He listened to you before."

"I'll go over later," Bonnie said. "I've asked Professor Shane to spend some time with him. He should be there soon to help Matt out."

"Klaus will want him to carry on hunting," Stefan said. "He needs him to complete the mark. We all need that to happen if we want to cure Elena."

Elena shook her head. "I don't want the cure if it means Jeremy turns into a full-blown hunter. I'll learn to deal with being a vampire. At least Klaus can't use my blood to make hybrids anymore."

"Klaus will still come after you," Stefan said. "He'll try and force the cure on you."

"Then we'll deal with that. No more hunting for Jeremy. We have to put a stop to this."

Bonnie took a deep breath. "I've asked Damon to come back and help get Jeremy under control," she said.

"You did what?" Caroline demanded.

"Who's Damon?" Elena asked.

"Damon is Stefan's brother, and he's a real pain in the ass," Caroline said. She shot Bonnie a murderous look.

"Have I ever met him?" Elena said.

"No," Stefan said.

"Yes," Bonnie said, at the same time.

Elena looked between the two of them. Stefan's face was unreadable, but Bonnie looked furious.

"What's going on?" Elena demanded.

"You met Damon briefly," Caroline said.

"You may remember him," Bonnie added.

"Or not," Stefan countered. "You may not have any memory him. It's okay if you don't recognise him. He knows what happened to you so he won't be offended if you don't remember him."

"There's no pressure," Caroline said.

"But you all know him," Elena said, still confused.

"He's helped us out a little before," Stefan said.

Elena looked between their faces, but no one was giving her any clues.

"Okay, well... If you think he can help Jeremy, then it's fine, I guess," she said eventually.

Bonnie smiled, but the look that Stefan and Caroline exchanged was anything but happy.

Down the hallway, the front door slammed shut.

"That should be him now," Bonnie said. She disappeared into the hallway and returned a moment later with the mysterious Damon Salvatore.

A powerful surge of recognition made Elena catch her breath. She gripped the arm of her chair, suddenly dizzy and disoriented. For a moment she was afraid she might faint, but the sensation passed and she could finally look at Damon properly.

He was instantly, hauntingly familiar. Yet at the same time she couldn't recall anything significant about him; where they'd met, or when - if they had ever talked or been friends - she had nothing. Just the overwhelming conviction that she knew him.

She stared at him, taking in his wild black hair and muscular frame, desperate to fit him into the empty memories that crowded her head.

"Elena, this is Damon," Bonnie said. She gave Elena an encouraging smile.

"Hi Damon," Elena said. The name suited him. And it rolled off her tongue with such familiar ease.

He regarded her warily, a frown on his handsome face.

He had blue eyes, Elena realised.

"I'm sure we've met before," she said.

Damon gave her a tight little smile.

"I wouldn't expect you to remember that," he said. He turned to Stefan. "So Jeremy went rogue, huh?"

"He's just a little confused right now," Stefan said.

"Well how about I head over and deal with the littlest Gilbert whilst you figure out how to stall your best buddy Klaus."

"We have this under control," Stefan said.

"Sure you do, brother," Damon said. He gave Stefan the most intense look Elena had ever seen, and she couldn't shake the feeling that his presence here was somehow controversial. Even Caroline and Bonnie were staring daggers at each other.

Then Damon glanced ever so briefly at Elena and strode out of the room.

Elena was suddenly sick of the tension and the meaningful looks. She stood up and turned to Bonnie.

"I want to work on getting my memories back," she said.

"What are we going to do about Klaus?" Stefan asked.

"That's your problem," Elena said bluntly. "I'm tired of not remembering things. I need to figure out what's missing."

"She's right," Bonnie said, standing up. "It's time we helped Elena remember what she's forgotten."

* * *

_**I'll have two more chapters ready by Christmas you guys :) And in the next chapter you're going to find out what happens when Damon discovers that Elena has been sleeping in his room! Stay tuned! :D**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Merry Christmas and happy holidays, lovely readers! As promised, I have two new chapters ready for you just in time for Christmas Eve ;) I will be away seeing family this week so it might be a while before I can get the next chapters up, so I hope chapters 10 and 11 are enough to keep you going over the break.**

**Thanks so much to everyone who's read and followed and to everyone who left lovely encouraging reviews on the last update! You guys are awesome and I hope to have some new chapters ready for you soon! :D**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Staying For The Show**

Elena sat in a haze of incense smoke, staring at the candle Bonnie had set down before her.

"This isn't working," she sighed.

After hours of trying, Bonnie had to admit she might be right. She'd hoped that some magical intervention would help Elena fight through the effects of the sire bond, but they'd tried spells, hypnotism and magical herbs and so far nothing had worked. There was no easy cure for Elena's lost memories.

"I think we should try a different approach," Bonnie said. "We can use hypnotism and free association, but I think we should try short sessions. You can rest your mind in between and give yourself time to remember."

"But I want to remember now!" Elena got up from the floor and threw herself onto the sofa in exasperation. The lounge of the Boarding House was covered in the debris of their efforts. Candles burned on every flat surface, leaving ugly blobs of wax on the woodwork, and several circles and sigils were scrawled on the floor in chalk.

Still Elena had nothing to show for it. Bonnie sighed and started cleaning up the mess.

"I know you're frustrated," she said. "But this is going to take some time. I'm not giving up, though."

"Someone was here with me last summer," Elena said. "When Stefan was away being the ripper, I swear there was someone living here. Helping me. And I can't remember who it was! I remember having a birthday party here, but I don't remember who was with me that day. There are so many missing pieces."

She turned to Bonnie, and the look on her face was heartbreaking.

"What if I never remember?" she said forlornly.

Bonnie sat down beside her and took her hand. "You will remember," she said. "Whatever it takes, I'll make sure you remember."

It was tempting to come clean with Elena; tell her all about the sire bond and Damon and let her run back to him to get her memories restored. But Bonnie resisted. That had to be a last resort. Fighting through the memory block on her own was Elena's best chance at overcoming the sire bond - maybe even breaking it for good.

As painful as it was to see Elena like this, Bonnie had to give her a chance to win back some free will.

Elena squeezed Bonnie's hand for a moment and gave her a small smile. Then she sighed and stood up.

"It's late," she said. "You should get home. I'll finish tidying up here."

* * *

Bonnie left her in the lounge and headed to the door. Elena was right; it was almost midnight, and past time Bonnie got home.

In the hallway she met Damon coming in.

"Any luck with Jeremy?" she asked.

"I've got a few ideas," Damon said. He closed the door behind him and tucked his hands into his pockets. "Professor Shane thinks he needs to take an 'emotional detour' and you may be able to help with that."

"Well if there's anything I can do..." Bonnie said.

"How did it go with Elena?"

Bonnie kept her voice low. "Not good. The sire bond shouldn't be this strong or this difficult to overcome. Elena should be remembering things more clearly by now, but for some reason I can't break through."

"Maybe I'm just not that important."

Bonnie gave him a look. "I know you're not my favourite person in the world," she said. "But Elena cared about you. You were important to her. And she has a right to remember that."

"I'm not going to sire-bond-compel her to remember," Damon said. "I set her free. That's the whole point. If she doesn't remember now then it's up to her."

"She will remember eventually," Bonnie said.

"Well I'm not holding my breath."

* * *

Elena finished tidying up the living room as best she could, and then headed upstairs to get some sleep. The afternoon of memory-chasing had left her mentally exhausted. Right now sleeping for twelve hours straight seemed like a wonderful idea.

She pushed open the door of her room, and stopped short.

Damon Salvatore stood by the bed, his shirt off and his torso bare. He had his back to her, but he turned as she entered. His expression morphed from shock to confusion before it settled on wary uncertainty.

"Can I help you?" he said.

Elena tore her eyes away from his bare chest. "What are you doing here?" she asked stupidly. It sounded rude even as she said it, and she cringed.

"This is my room," Damon said. He took a step towards her, his expression suddenly intense. "Whose room did you think it was?"

"I sleep here," Elena said.

His eyebrows flicked up and the corner of his mouth tweaked into a tiny smile.

"That explains the cute PJs on the bed," he said.

Elena blushed bright red. "I'm so sorry," she babbled. "Stefan told me I could sleep in this room, I had no idea it was yours."

She sidled past him to the bed and grabbed frantically for her pyjamas and her diary.

"I'll go and sleep somewhere else," she said.

"You can sleep here if you want," Damon said. He gazed at her with those hypnotic blue eyes, and she paused, her arms full of nightclothes.

"Do we know each other well enough for that?" she asked curiously. He was so familiar - not just his face, but his whole presence. His voice; the smell of him; the way he stood and moved.

"What do you think?" he asked. His face softened in a way that made Elena smile even though she didn't know why.

"I feel like we do," she said. "But that's crazy. We've only met once."

His face fell, and he turned away from her.

"I'll find another room," she said, and she hurried towards the door.

On her way out she paused.

"It was nice meeting you, Damon," she said. "I'm sorry I don't remember more about you."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Only In My Sleep**

That night, Elena dreamed of Damon.

She dreamed of a motel under flickering neon lights; of a cool night breeze blowing her hair around her face. Damon stood behind her, his shirt unbuttoned. Passion and need engulfed her, and she crashed into him like an ocean wave, her lips devouring his.

She awoke gasping and drenched in sweat, and the dream stayed with her, painted across her memory in vivid detail.

It was still early morning, but the dream had left her so wired that she couldn't sleep again. She wrapped a shawl around her shoulders and made her way down to the kitchen to make some coffee.

The first rosy glow of dawn lit the expansive kitchen, but the night's chill still lingered in the room. Elena shivered as she padded across the cold stone floor and boiled the kettle for instant coffee. The drink warmed her a little, and she sat at the counter and stared out at the dewy garden.

As she sat there warming her hands on her coffee mug, Damon himself walked in.

A shot of nervous adrenaline coursed through her, and her breath hitched momentarily. She tried to watch Damon discreetly as he crossed to the fridge and pulled out a blood bag.

"Why are you up so early?" he asked.

"I couldn't sleep," Elena said. Damon lounged against the counter opposite her and sipped at the blood.

"I told you, you should've slept in my bed," he said. "It's the best one in the house."

That just served to remind Elena of their encounter in his room last night, and she blushed bright red in spite of herself. He noticed.

"Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

She forced herself to look at his face - the painfully familiar lines and that hair that begged to be ruffled.

"You seem so familiar," she said. "I feel like we knew each other pretty well, but I don't remember why."

Damon gave her a tight smile. "I'm not that important."

"Stefan said we only met one time," Elena went on. "What did we do?"

Now Damon looked uncomfortable. "Oh, you know... We talked a little."

"Did we dance together?" Elena asked. It came out of nowhere, but she was suddenly, completely sure that they had.

Damon fixed her with those piercing eyes. "Yeah, we did."

He crossed the few steps to the counter where she sat, and leaned against it, his face tantalisingly close to hers. Up close, his gaze was so intense it hit her like a physical force.

"Do you remember dancing with me?" he asked.

"I think so," Elena said. With his body this close the memory began to crystallise. "We danced by the fireplace. I was really happy. You were smiling."

He smiled now - guarded and uncertain, but still a smile.

"We were good friends, weren't we?" Elena went on. "I know I can't remember all of it, but that's what it feels like. We were close, even if we'd only just met."

"Yeah, we were close," Damon said softly.

Elena smiled. "I had a dream about you last night," she said, suddenly bold. "I don't know why. It was pretty crazy though."

"What was it about?"

"I don't think I should tell you."

"Come on, spill," Damon said, a playful grin momentarily lighting up his face. "If it's embarrassing I promise I won't tell anyone."

Something about his expression made Elena brave enough to continue. "We were at a motel," she said. "We were lying on a bed and you held my hand. Then we were outside the motel and... I kissed you. I told you it was crazy."

Damon stared at her, and Elena's playful smile faded under his gaze.

"What's so crazy about you kissing me?" he asked.

Elena stood up suddenly and backed away from the counter, her heart racing. Nothing at all seemed crazy about it. And even in the dream the taste of his lips had been so real, so sweet and soft under hers...

"I'm going to go get dressed," she said hurriedly.

She turned to leave, but even with her back to him Damon's gaze still bored right through her. She couldn't walk away. She took a deep breath and turned to face him.

"I was in love with you," she said. "That's what the dream was about. I lay in the bed, you took my hand and I realised I was in love with you. That's what I remember most about it. That feeling. And I know I don't really know you and it was just a dream, but it still feels like the most real thing that's happened to me in the past six weeks."

She stopped. Damon stared at her, a stunned expression on his face, and her burst of courage drained away in an instant.

"I'm so sorry," she said, turning crimson. "That was really inappropriate of me. I'm gonna go."

Damon moved faster than her eyes could follow and appeared in front of her. His hands gripped her arms, gently but firmly. His face was inches from her own.

"How do you know it was just a dream?" he asked. "How do you know it wasn't real?"

She stared at him, her heart pounding. Up close, he made her skin tingle and her breath catch. Her gaze darted to his lips, and she felt the overwhelming urge to lean forward and kiss him. She had done it before. She knew it. She knew exactly how those lips would taste.

She closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against his. For a brief moment he resisted, and then his grip on her arms softened, his lips parted, his tongue melted into hers.

He tasted just the way she remembered, sweet and powerful and needy all rolled together.

She jerked away, suddenly dizzy. Only his hands on her arms stopped her from falling to the floor. And she remembered, clearly and vividly, a night by the fire, her lips crashing into his; she remembered tearing his shirt, slipping out of her dress, his hands on her skin and his lips on her belly and all of it, all of it crashing down on her at once in the sudden realisation that she had made love to this man she barely remembered.

"Damon," she whispered, her eyes full of tears, and then the dizziness returned and she passed out.


End file.
